Loopholes
by beaute-ephemere
Summary: He loves her, and she loves him, but things are never quite that simple. / Written for Round 1 of the Houses Competition Year 2


_House : Slytherin_

 _Prompt : "Well, I had this plan…"_

 _Category : Themed_

 _Word count : 4407_

.oOo.

 **Hermione POV**

It all started on New Year's Eve. I was drunk, he was drunk, and the next morning I woke up in his bed. We agreed to forget about it and move on. The problem was, neither of us managed. Once again, I ended up in his bed. It happened twice, it happened three times, it happened every single day for a month. By then, we were as vital to one another as the very air we breathed. It took us six weeks to go on our first date, and even then, we made sure no one caught us. After all, it would never do for the Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Muggle-born to be seen together.

We assumed our relationship wouldn't last; in fact, we were certain that it couldn't, so we felt it was better to hide than to tell our friends and endure the endless arguments that would ensue. However, one beautiful spring day, as I thought of what I would do after I graduated, I realised that I could no longer imagine life without him. To put it simply, I realised I was hopelessly in love with none other than Draco Malfoy.

At first, I wasn't sure how to tell him, but when I finally did, he admitted he felt the same. For some godforsaken reason, we decided I should meet his parents without further ado. Somewhat predictably, the meeting went dreadfully. I was, after all, the very antithesis of everything they had ever stood for: Muggle-born, a member of the Order of the Phoenix and, last but not least, terribly common. The afternoon had ended with Narcissa giving me the address of a beautician and Lucius giving Draco a list of "nice, _suitable_ girls".

That evening, faced with the realisation that things may be much more difficult than we had expected, both Draco and I needed some time alone. He went flying, and I found an abandoned classroom to cry in. In the end, Ginny noticed I wasn't in the common room that night and came looking for me. When she found me, she asked no questions, simply putting her arms around me and gently stroking my hair until I finally fell asleep, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

The next morning, I woke up in my dormitory with Ginny sitting at the foot of my bed, holding a mug of coffee.

"I levitated you back here last night after you fell asleep. Don't worry, I nicked Harry's Invisibility Cloak – no one saw you," she said somewhat awkwardly, handing me the mug.

I thanked her, and we sat there in silence for a few moments as she waited for me to talk. Finally, unable to keep my secrets locked away any longer, I told her everything. When I was finished, she burst out laughing. When she realised I was serious, she looked ready to cry.

"Godammit, Hermione!" she groaned. "You ignore my brother's advances all year for _this_?! You rejected him for Draco-bloody-Malfoy, complete with maniacal blood-purist parents!"

"I know, I know – what did I expect? But he's wonderful, underneath his cold exterior. And Gin, I–"

"NO! I refuse to hear it! You were about to say you loved him, weren't you?!" she cried.

"It's _true,_ whether you want to hear it or not."

"You could've had anyone, _anyone_ and you chose _him_? Why?!"

I shrugged. "The heart wants what it wants."

Burying her head in her hands, Ginny was silent for a moment before looking up. "Hermione, you're my best friend. I will stand by you to hell and back. If you want to spend your life with the Great Bouncing Ferret, I will support you, but you have to be sure this is what you want. Is it?"

Feeling her eyes water, Hermione nodded. "Thank you so much, Gin. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"Let's just say it was a momentary lapse of sanity. It's behind us now. Just remember, you can tell me anything, truly. That's what friends are for, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, pausing. "I'm going to have to talk to the boys soon, huh?"

"You bet. I'll help you, but remember, while it might not be easy, they'll come around."

"I know. I-I think I've got to go find Draco, talk to him. I'll see you later."

"Yeah. I'd tell you to say hello from me, but I don't like him very much, so don't."

" _Bye_ , Ginny," I sighed, and she was gone.

.oOo.

It wasn't difficult for me to find Draco sitting in a secluded area just off the shore of the Black Lake, hidden by trees and overgrown shrubbery. It was the place we had had our first true kiss, a kiss fueled by love, not only lust.

Without even looking up, he sensed my presence. "I'm sorry," was all he said.

"Don't be," I said, sitting down beside him. "It had nothing to do with you. I mean, if you're talking about your parents. If you're apologizing for leaving me to find a nice, suitable pureb-"

"Of course, I'm talking about my parents! I – I had just hoped it would be different, I had hoped they had changed."

"Draco, you can't expect them to change everything they've ever known in less than a year. They were raised to hate Muggles, and in extension, Muggleborns; they've never known anything else."

" _I_ was raised that way! _I_ never knew anything else! Yet, _I_ am in love with you, Muggle heritage and all."

"Draco–"

"Don't Draco me! I love you, Hermione Jean Granger! I love you so much that it hurts. But they're my _parents_. I just– I wish it were different. I wish it were easier."

"It was never meant to be easy," I sighed, leaning on his shoulder. "Sometimes, don't you wonder if we were even meant to be at all?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I don't want to make you choose. I can't make you choose." I met his grey eyes, noting the tears that were forming there. But I knew I was beginning to cry as well. "I've lost my parents forever, and it's so hard, Draco. It's so hard to live with the knowledge that they'll never even know they had a daughter. I don't want you to make a choice, I don't want you to live with the pain of regret."

"Hermione, don't do this. You think you're being selfless? You think you're helping me? You're not. This isn't going to make anything easier. This will ruin me."

 _It will ruin me too_ , I thought. But instead of telling him, I got up and left, because the truth was, I was already ruined, and I was broken and torn and if I stayed, I'd fall apart and never be able to leave again.

.oOo.

As I walked back towards the castle, I felt my legs begin to tremble. I sped up, not wanting to break before I could reach the safety of my room, but by the time I reached the Front Hall I could barely stand. As such, I darted into the nearest bathroom, cast a _Muffliato_ , and sunk onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably and wondering what on earth I had just done. After what seemed like hours, I finally pulled myself off the tiles and dragged myself back to the Gryffindor Tower.

I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep, but Harry, Ron and Ginny ambushed me in the Common Room.

"Hi, 'Mione! Where've you been? We haven't seen you all afternoon!" said Ron.

I shot Ginny a pleading look. "Uh - doing homework."

Harry raised an eyebrow, obviously sensing something was wrong, but Ron, oblivious as ever, just laughed.

"Oh, you and your homework! I never did understand how you could spend so much time on it," he joked, completely unaware of the sudden tension in the air.

"Uh - yeah. I'm really exhausted, though. I think I'll go lie down," I answered, the lies rolling off my tongue with an uncanny ease. I was gone before anyone had the chance to stop me.

.oOo.

The next morning, I woke up mere minutes before I was due to have Advanced Potions. Panicking, I quickly tied up my hair and threw on my school uniform. Glancing at my reflection in the mirror, I noticed how blotchy my cheeks were. I cast a glamour charm, and, no longer completely disgusted with my appearance, I sprinted to class. For the first time in years, I was last in my seat, Professor Slughorn arriving mere moments after me.

I barely registered a single thing the professor said during the lesson, so distracted was I by the sight of Draco. He refused to meet my gaze, but his demeanor gave away how little he had slept that night. Rarely had I felt so awful.

As I left class, wondering if I could somehow get the earth to swallow me up, I found myself cornered by Harry.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" he asked, his voice possessing a dangerous undertone I had rarely heard him use.

"Nothing," I gulped. "Just tired."

"You know you can tell me anything, right, 'Mione?"

"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong, rea-"

"Oh, come on. I'm no idiot."

"I… uh… goddammit! It's a long story… We have Herbology, I can't tell–"

"Tonight. You tell me everything tonight."

I sighed. "Yeah."

.oOo.

 **Ginny POV**

That day, I had but one thought on my mind: find Hermione. After seeing her disheveled state last night, I knew she needed me. I hadn't been able to go comfort her last night without arousing Harry's suspicion, but I planned on making up for that as soon as I could. However, it was nearly 7 o'clock that evening before I located my best friend, and conditions were far from ideal: just as I was making my way to her dorm in hopes of finding her there, a very angry Harry stormed out of it. "Don't go in there," he warned. "You'll discover a side of her you never wanted to meet."

"Harry James Potter!" I cried. "How dare you! Can't you tell that she needs us right now? And you call yourself her friend?"

"You knew?" he asked, aghast.

"Yes, I did! Trust me, I was hardly thrilled when I found out. But guess what: I still love her, and I'll stand by her, whatever life throws at us!"

"I didn't say I didn't love her any–"

"Save it for someone who cares, Harry."

"Oh, shut up, Little Miss Holier-Than-Thou. You kept a secret like that from your boyfriend and your brother! "

"It wasn't my place to tell you!"

Harry ignored her. "Did you even think about Ron? He's loved her for–"

"Did _you_ think about how Hermione feels? I suggest you do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd rather not waste any more time talking to you when my best friend obviously needs me."

Turning my back on what I suddenly feared was my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, I quickly darted into Hermione's dorm. Seeing her crumpled on the floor, tears streaming down her face, I realised the situation was far worse than I'd imagined. "Hermione! What happened?" I cried, rushing to her side.

"I– I told him everything, " she said shakily. "He didn't take it very well."

My expression darkened. "I know," I muttered. "I bumped into him on his way out."

"I hope you didn't argue about this! It's not worth it, it's not worth anything anymore..."

"Don't worry, I can–wait a second, is there something you're not telling me? It sounds as if– no, it can't be…"

"I broke up with him," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"What?!" I roared. "I defend you against Harry, I lie to my brother, and you just _break up with him?!_ "

"I-I'm sorry, " Hermione lamented, tears splashing into her lap with renewed passion.

Seeing her in such a state, I knew I'd have to wait till she was in her right mind again to be furious. Especially with Harry gone, she couldn't have me turn on her, not right now. "What's done is done. Now, care to tell me _why_ you did that?"

"He just– I couldn't make him choose. His parents hate me, Gin."

"You broke up with him because, in an unforeseeable turn of events, his parents, his pure-blood supremacist parents, don't like you?That is the most un-Hermionish thing you have ever done! You don't care what _anyone_ thinks about you."

"It's not about me," she snapped, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "It's about him! I can't make him choose between me and his parents!"

"Oh, come off it! He wouldn't have to _choose_. Sure, you won't spend Christmas at Malfoy Manor, but they won't disown him!"

"But–"

"No! Narcissa Malfoy lied to _Voldemort_ to see her son again, she will love him whomever he marries."

"I– "

"Now, go make nice with lover-boy, and I'll deal with Harry. You didn't tell him you had broken up with Draco, did you?"

"I didn't have time before he stormed out, yelling at me for betraying him," she muttered, her voice beginning to crack again. _Harry is going to get a stern talking-to,_ I thought bitterly. "As for Draco, I just– I can't do that to him," Hermione said, her lips curling into a sad little smile. "I broke his heart once, I won't play around with it now."

"Is this a game to you?"

"No, of course n-"

"Then you're not _playing_ with his heart. Problem solved. As for–"

"Gin! I won't do it."

I sighed. Of course she wouldn't. Leave it to Hermione to refute a perfect plan. "'Mione…"

"No, Gin! Did you even see him today? Look at what I've done to him! He doesn't need someone like that in his life!"

"Can't you see? He _does_ need you. You can fix this!"

"Gin..."

"Hermione, as your best friend in the entire world, I will call upon my duty to tell you the truth, and as such, tell you that you are being a blithering idiot–"

"Hey!"

"You're both miserable blighters without the other! Just look at yourself!"

"I– uh– just–"

"If you won't doing anything about it, I'll do it for you! You're coming with me."

"No! I'm serious, Gin. I'm not leaving this room."

"I really have to do _everything_ around here. You owe me one, Granger."

"Wait–" she began, but I was gone before I heard the end of her protests.

.oOo.

A few minutes later, as I made my way down to the dungeons to find Ferret Boy, I heard footsteps coming down the corridor. Slipping into the shadows, I waited to see who it was when I was suddenly blinded by an unmistakable flash of strikingly pale hair. Seriously, his hair was way too white. He _definitely_ bleached it. Pushing away thoughts of his ghostly paleness, I snuck out of the shadows and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him into an empty classroom.

"What do you want?" he drawled.

"I–"

"Forget it, I just remembered I really don't care," he sneered, exiting the room. As I watched him leave, I said the only thing I could think of. "Hermione's in danger," I cried. He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Don't play dumb, Malfoy."

"How do I know it's true, anyway," he said, desperately attempting nonchalance as he turned around to face me again.

"Do you think I'd really choose to come talk to you if my best friend wasn't in grave danger?"

A flicker of fear passed across his face. "What–"

"She's about to drown in her own tears. I believe you're the lifeline she needs."

" _She_ left _me_ ," he remarked coldly. "I don't think she particularly wants to see me."

"I thought you were supposed to be smart! It would seem you're as much of a fool as her. You know she has a distorted vision of reality, whereby she needs to save everybody and can bear all the pain in the world. But we both know she can't, and she needs you right now."

"I– "

"Please."

"I wish I could, but–"

"You two are _insufferable!_ Just make up, for god's sake! You can, and you will."

"You don't understand. I-I'm betrothed. After she broke up with me, I agreed to sign a marriage contract. It's binding; I can't back out. I don't want Hermione to get her hopes up, only for them to be crushed once again."

With that, he left, tears glistening in his eyes. Left alone in shocked silence, I wondered how on earth I'd help Hermione out of _this_ problem.

.oOo.

Two hours later, after making a Slytherin first-year give me the dungeon password, I knocked on the Slytherin boys dormitory door. To my luck, Draco Malfoy opened it.

"Make it quick, Weasley. I'd like to go back to revelling in my misery as soon as possible," he groaned.

I grinned. "Well, I had this plan…"

.oOo.

The next morning, I begged Hermione to accompany me to the Owlery, where I had instructed Draco to be when we arrived. Hermione turned to leave before he saw her, but I blocked her path, and she had no choice but to face her soon-to-no-longer-be-ex-boyfriend. After a few moments of tense silence, she threw herself in his arms. After a few tears and a lot of apologies, Draco explained his delicate situation. Tears began to well up in Hermione's eyes, so I quickly interjected.

"The thing is, I had this plan… I've done the research, and it should definitely work."

"You can't back out of a binding magical contract! You just can't!" she wailed. "And I won't be anyone's mistress," she added.

"Think outside of the box for once, 'Mione. You can't get married if you're already married, can you?" I said, smirking triumphantly.

"The Malfoys will have thought of that," Hermione muttered. "You can't get married if you're legally declared engaged."

"He's legally declared _in England._ The antiquitated tradition of arranged marriages is frowned upon by the ministry, so, like any respectable Pureblood, they go through the English and Welsh Society for the Preservation of the Sanctity of Marriage, or EWSPSM for short. Catchy name, don't you think?"

"The Malfoys have connections. They'll be alerted if we leave the country, be it by Floo, by Portkey or by Muggle transport."

"Come on, Hermione. Don't you realise where we are?"

"Uh - Hogwarts?"

"Which is?"

"In Scotland! Oh! Surely the Malfoys thought of that."

"The thing is, Scotland doesn't have any equivalent of the EWSPSM. My parents couldn't do anything about it. They probably hoped that I just wouldn't notice," Draco answered.

"The bottom line is, you're getting married!" I said. "Now, while you two make up, I'm going to go plan your wedding. Don't you dare protest, Hermione Jean Granger. I want it to be a surprise for you. Don't worry, you'll love it."

The truth was, I had already planned Hermione's wedding. As such, I could no longer put off the dreadful confrontation that had been looming over my head for the past day. I walked into the Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory. When I entered, Harry's emerald green eyes looked up at me.

"We need to talk."

"Yes, we do."

.oOo.

 **Draco POV**

After the war, I was lost and broken, a mere shell of a man. All throughout the war, the thought of it ending was the only thing that had kept me going. Occasionally, I had contemplated ending everything myself, craving the peace of sheer nothingness. And yet, when the Dark Lord had fallen and I was free to savour life once again, I came to the soul-wrenching realisation I no longer had a life to live. That's when I found Hermione. Or perhaps she found me. I'm not quite sure, it was just a rush of desperate hands and hungry kisses and _her_. She was my light at the end of the tunnel, my saving grace, my redemption.

Coming so close to losing Hermione now only made me hang on to her tighter. So, when the Weaslette told me her plan, I knew I had to make it work. I knew I would. Hermione was mine, and I would stop at nowhere to make sure of it.

Therefore, when we snuck out of the castle and the brilliant idea the She-Weasel and her friends had come up with (Muggle cars, of all things!) to get us out of Hogwarts fell through, I immediately began walking to the broom sheds. "If we can't drive there, then we'll fly there," I declared. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, because Hermione, terrified of heights, ended up flying with me, gripping my waist tight and burrowing her head into my shoulder in a most enjoyable fashion.

We landed in what could only be described as a muddy field. It was slightly disappointing, but perhaps we were meant to apparate from here - but then Weaselette began dragging us into a nearby brick building, which I realized was– a blacksmith's shop?! An actual shop. I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, was to be married in a blacksmith's shop. Things only seemed to be getting worse, and while I may be having a runaway marriage at 18 against the will of my parents, I was still a Malfoy, and Malfoys deserved the best. Hermione, however, squealed – actually _squealed_ – at the sight of it.

"Gin! Good Godric! How did you–?" she asked.

The Weaslette smiled."Only the best for my Hermione."

Thoroughly confused, I raised an eyebrow at Hermione. She laughed. "Don't you recognise it? We're at Gretna Green!"

Oh. I was having my runaway wedding at _Gretna Green._ Despite finding the entire thing a bit cliche, I found myself unable to smile at my wife-to-be's excitement.

"Now," said the She-Weasel. "I must help Hermione get dressed, and I suggest you get ready as well. Your hair is almost slightly ruffled, and messiness doesn't become you."

.oOo.

Standing at the altar, wondering if it was normal for the official to be this late to the wedding, I waited for Hermione to arrive. When she did, she was divine, her dress made of lace and satin and highlighting her every curve. She walked down the isle, smiling up at me. When she finally reached me, I noticed a sad little glint in her eye. I raised a worried eyebrow at her, wondering if she was having second thoughts.

"– this is going to sound silly – I wish Harry was here to see this," she whispered.

Stupid Saint Potter. He had to ruin _everything_ in my life. However, seeing the pain in Hermione's eyes, I began to think that not having Potter at my wedding was worse than having him. She shook her head. "I wish he cared, but he doesn't, and I won't let that ruin this. This is you and me, together, now and forever, and no one can take that from us."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, someone else spoke. "I wish you'd told me I didn't care; I wouldn't have spent so much on a stupid suit."

I turned my head in disbelief. Sure enough, there was the Chosen One, smiling at _my_ Hermione, at _my_ wedding. "I'm sorry, 'Mione," he said.

She smiled at him, shocked speechless, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You came!"

"'Course I did," he grinned.

Then Weaselette entered, and when she saw Potter, her entire countenance lit up. "Harry!" she cried, running over to his side and giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "You made it!"

"I did," he replied, grinning. "I couldn't miss Hermione's wedding!"

"Good, because the official _should_ be here any second and Draco needs a best man."

Wait. My eyes narrowed. Was she suggesting…

"Gin, are you saying you want me to be Malfoy's best man?"

"Yes, now, here is the Ministry official!" As she finished speaking, a man strode in. After looking at Hermione and me, then at Potter and She-Weasel, he cleared his throat and began talking: "I do apologise for my tardiness. Is everyone ready to proceed? Wonderful… Now, do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Draco Lucius Malfoy, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take Hermione Jean Granger, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

.oOo.

A few weeks later, I visited my parents. I announced my marriage, and they, perhaps rather predictably, went absolutely mental. At least, my father did. He Flooed to the Ministry immediately, probably to try and find an official to shout at, leaving Mother and I alone.

"Don't worry about your father, he'll come around," she soothed.

"Aren't you–? "

"I'm very pleased for you, Draco."

"But– that afternoon–"

"I was – how do I put this – surprised. But, upon reflection, I couldn't recall seeing you quite so happy in years. She was just as in love as you were, you know. That's why I was sure she would come back to you after she left."

"But then, why? The marriage contract, the – "

"I knew your father would make everything terribly difficult if you left him the time to get a word in edgeways, so I gave you a little push. Hermione is a very smart witch, I knew she'd find the… loophole in your predicament. Malfoy women have always been resourceful, my darling."

"You– you planned it all?" I asked, absolutely shocked. In response, my mother merely smiled, sipping from her teacup. "And you think of Hermione as a Malfoy woman?"

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Well, she _is_ a Malfoy now, isn't she?"

.oOo.

Much later, I asked the Weaslette why she helped Hermione marry me, of all people. She looked at me, slightly amused, and answered simply: "A true friend stands by through the best and the worst. A true friend stands by through everything."


End file.
